Planet of the Apes (2001)

For many years the studio executives of Hollywood have had the idea that if a move was
a hit one time, remaking it would provide a hit again. There are many was that they have
gone about this. There was the scene for scene remake of Psycho a few years ago that could
never get out of the shadow of the original. Then there are the remakes of Jerry Lewis
films by Eddie Murphy, which met with more success. Tim Burton has now entered the fray
with his Re-Imagining of the classic Sci-Fi flick, Planet of the Apes. The
first thing to do is to notice that he does not call it a remake but a re-imagining. This
gives him a way out of trying to reconcile the plot or characters to the original. So,
forget the Charlton Heston film we all know and take this as a completely different
animal. The story begins with Leo (Mark Wahlberg), an astronaut on a huge exploratory
space ship. Genetically enhanced apes in lieu of humans run most of the missions. When the
ship come upon a huge space storm. They send the chimp into the storm and he is lost. Leo,
upset with the second-class flight status of humans goes against orders and flies off to
save the chimp. Of course, Leo is drawn into the storm and his chronometer starts rapidly
advancing. Leo lands in the water, losing his craft. The land is desolate and he soon
finds himself in the middle of a group of humans hunted by apes. He is captured and sold
to a slave trader, Limbo (Paul Giamatti). Fighting for human rights is Ari (Helena Bonham
Carter), daughter of a high ranked senator, who buys Leo and a busty blond human female
Daena (Estella Warren). Leo leads an escape and is followed by General Thade (Tim Roth)
and his second in command Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan). Naturally, there are chases, some
attempts at social commentary and the big climatic battle between species. The so called
surprise ending is a let down so dont get your hopes up too high.

This is a difficult genre for actors, the heavy prosthetic flick. They are limited to
their eyes for conveying emotions. They also had to attend ape school to learn
to move like a simian. There was also a report of heavy smoke Carter setting her face mask
on fire until they prop department obtained a twenties style cigarette holder. Wahlberg is
a bit out of his element here as an action hero. He has a lot of talent as shown with
roles like Boogie Nights and even Perfect Storm. He seems to drift along too much. Because
he was working sans the heavy makeup it was up to him to set the emotional tone. His
facial expression barely changes. Carter really shined in her role as Ari. Her eyes are
extremely expressive. Her body language perfectly suited to the chimp mannerisms required
for the role. She projects more humanity than any of the human cast. It shows
that a great actor can breath life into any role. Warren is mere eye candy in her role as
the human female. As you watch the film notice that although the humans live in primitive
tribal bands without any technology she manages to have a constant supply of pink glossy
lipstick and, er, silicon enhancements. Roth as General Thade is pure evil. Although you
cannot recognize him under that makeup you will be impressed with his talent. His violent,
animalistic nature is a perfect counterpoint to the gentleness of Ari. Their performances
are the reason to watch this film. The gem of the film award goes to Giamatti. A seasoned
character actor on both the large and small screens, he provides the required comic relief
and treachery that holds the thin plot together. He also gets some of the best lines in
the film.

Tim Burton has never a director who takes the safe road with his films. This means his
track record inevitably contains a mixture of hits and misses. From Edward Scissorhands,
Batman and Bettlejuice his films have always taken the audience down a road rarely trod.
His direction is more eclectic in this film than the usual Hollywood film. For one he
plays with camera angles quite a bit. The camera takes the audience on an exploration of
viewpoints that helps the pacing. The film moves along at a good clip even though action
scenes are widely separated. His lighting is often too murky to make details discernable.
Burton regular Danny Elfman scored the film. Thankfully, Elfman seems to have moved away
from his trademark Vox Humana for this flick. The score picks up the emotional tone
dropped by many of the actors. As with all Burton movies the tone is dark and somewhat
depressing. Just when you think things will pick up the infamous ending kicks in. Burton
does give his typical attention to the slightest details of the production. If you find
yourself getting bored at all start watching the background. Little things like a human
little person with an ape organ grinder or a chimp trophy wife with a fat, aging
politician will give a few chuckles. The also put a lot of thought into how an ape society
would live, the use of vines and braches instead of stairs, the layout of their houses all
add to a believable world to hold the story. Makeup director Rick Baker has taken the
original concepts of John Chambers to create some of the best special effect make up ever.
Added to the training the actors received to move like lower primates the presentation is
incredible.

The disc is one of the best for showing off your home theater to your friends. The
technical features are a cut above most DVDs on the market today. You will have to play
this disc on both your home theater and computer to see everything. The script to feature
DVD ROM feature is nice but it also shows a lot of last minute changes. The disc is jammed
with extras. There is a mode to view added material along with the film, special icons on
the screen to switch to additional material viewed in picture in picture format. Six
documentaries explore almost every aspect of the production. There is a commentary with
Burton and Elfman, five extended scenes and a HBO first look. This is only the tip of what
is presented. The murky lighting but otherwise perfect hampers the anamorphic video. The
sound booms out around the room. The sub woofer pounds the floor. This is not a film to
watch late at night. A good but not great film.